Zeng Shiqiang, a Chinese-born scholar of leadership and management who grew up in Taiwan, died on Monday, his official WeChat account announced. He was 84.

Zeng first put forward his theory on the “Chinese style of management” in 1979, as Reform and Opening was just being implemented in China. He combined aspects of ancient Chinese culture into a code of management that identified differences in customs and culture between China and the West.

In Zeng's thinking, Chinese people are flexible and able to adapt to new environments — a skill imparted by the I Ching, an ancient text also known as the Book of Changes, which contained a philosophical taxonomy of the universe and a guide to the ethical life.

Zeng also cited Confucian philosophy and said that the core of successful management brings peace and harmony among people.